Antonio Conte claimed it’s good to talk after holding a series of lunch meetings with his Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich.

And the Italian manager also warned “a bit of patience” will be required as he attempts to restore the Blues to their former glories.

Owner Abramovich’s visits to the club’s Cobham HQ have, more often than not, tended to be ominous signs for whoever is in the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge.

But summer arrival Conte has welcomed the chance to discuss his team’s problems with Abramovich over lunch THREE times this week.

Chelsea fans hoping that Diego Costa and co would be right back in the title fight... (Image: Getty)

...under Conte have watched them go three games without a win after a strong start (Image: Getty)

And they were described as relaxed talks, with the Russian tycoon taking the opportunity to show his support for Conte while he was in London, after back-to-back league defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.

Conte said: “Good communication is important, always, with all the people. It’s important to be very clear with your players and staff, with the club and with the owner. If you are very clear, it’s always OK.

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“Also, I’m lucky because Mr Abramovich is very passionate about football. To talk with him about football is very interesting. To discuss and explain my idea of football, I like this.”

Conte was clear about his desire to revamp Chelsea’s squad in January but his more immediate priority is shoring up their defence.

The Blues have shipped seven goals in their last three games without injured skipper and centre-back John Terry.

After winning the first three games, Chelsea saw skipper Terry injured at Swansea... (Image: JMP/REX/Shutterstock)

...and the Londoners have not won since, conceding seven times in three matches (Image: Rex)

The former England captain will be missing again for Saturday’s trip to promoted Hull, who have conceded four and five in their least two league games.

Conte said: “We must solve a big problem – that we concede a lot of goals. Also to improve in attacking situations, to win the ball back when we lose it, to stay compact. We are working on many principles.”

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“The expectations are to improve compared to last season. That was my expectation too, not just that of the club or the fans. But also my experience tells me to have a bit of patience. We haven’t got a magic wand to change the situation in a few months.

“Only through hard work can we fill the gap that we now have. It won’t be easy.”